Curl Correction Patents (Class 399/406)
  • Publication number: 20140376982
    Abstract: The present invention includes a supporting member that supports a first roller and a second roller, a first actuator that rotates the supporting member, a first gear that is connected to an end of second roller on the first actuator side, a second gear that is threadably engaged with the first gear, a third gear that rotates coaxially with the second gear, an input gear that threadably engages with the third gear, and a second actuator that transmits a rotational force to the input gear. The third rotation shaft extends in parallel in a first plane that includes the leading edge and the trailing edge of the nip, the first actuator rotates the supporting member between a first position at which the sheet is received from the leading edge of the nip and a second position at which the sheet is received from the trailing edge of the nip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventors: Katsuji Furushige, Keisuke Egawa, Noriaki Sumikura
  • Patent number: 8886111
    Abstract: A quad-roll curler apparatus includes a first roll, a second roll, a third roll, and a fourth roll. The curler apparatus is adjustable to a first processing configuration wherein three of the four rolls are engaged to impart a curl in a sheet in a first direction. The curler apparatus is adjustable to a second sheet processing configuration wherein three of the four rolls are engaged to impart a curl in a sheet in a second direction that is different from the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Marina Tharayil, Injae Choi, Joannes N. M. deJong
  • Patent number: 8862046
    Abstract: A sheet pressing device includes plurality of pressing members and a support member. The plurality of pressing members is provided on a downstream side in a discharging direction of fixing unit which carries out a fixing treatment over a sheet having an unfixed image transferred thereonto along the discharging direction. The plurality of pressing members presses both ends of the sheet in a direction along a surface of the sheet carried out the fixing treatment by the fixing unit and in a direction crossing the discharging direction. The support member supports the plurality of pressing members movably in such a direction as to approach or separate from the sheet when the sheet passes through the sheet pressing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukihiro Ichiki, Yasuki Tanaka, Motoyuki Yagi
  • Patent number: 8862047
    Abstract: The present invention includes a supporting member that supports a first roller and a second roller, a first actuator that rotates the supporting member, a first gear that is connected to an end of second roller on the first actuator side, a second gear that is threadably engaged with the first gear, a third gear that rotates coaxially with the second gear, an input gear that threadably engages with the third gear, and a second actuator that transmits a rotational force to the input gear. The third rotation shaft extends in parallel in a first plane that includes the leading edge and the trailing edge of the nip, the first actuator rotates the supporting member between a first position at which the sheet is received from the leading edge of the nip and a second position at which the sheet is received from the trailing edge of the nip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Katsuji Furushige, Keisuke Egawa, Noriaki Sumikura
  • Publication number: 20140294478
    Abstract: A curl correcting device includes a first roller, a second roller and a supporting unit. The supporting unit includes a first conveyance path and a second conveyance path. The first roller is rotated about a first rotary shaft and elastically deformable. The second roller is rotated about a second rotary shaft and elastically deforms the first roller by being pressed against the first roller, thereby forming a curved nip portion between the first and second rollers. The supporting unit is rotatable about a third rotary shaft and rotatably supports the first and second rollers. The first conveyance path communicates with the sheet conveyance path by the supporting unit being arranged at a first position about the third rotary shaft. The second conveyance path communicates with the sheet conveyance path by the supporting unit being arranged at a second position about the third rotary shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Shuji Osaki, Tsuyoshi Koyanagi, Yuta Okuno
  • Patent number: 8824954
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus starts to change a curl correcting amount until when an upstream end in a sheet conveying direction of a preceding sheet passes through a curl correcting unit and finishes changing the curl correcting amount until when a succeeding sheet that follows the preceding sheet reaches the curl correcting unit in a case when the preceding sheet and the succeeding sheet are both guided in the curl correcting unit through a conveying path and when the curl correcting amount is changed between curl correcting amounts of the preceding sheet and the succeeding sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yutaka Nishimura
  • Publication number: 20140234002
    Abstract: A curl straightening method in an image apparatus including a fixing apparatus and a curl straightening apparatus is disclosed. The method includes calculating moisture content of a sheet before being supplied to the fixing apparatus; measuring a temperature of a heating unit and a pressurizing unit; calculating a temperature and moisture content of the sheet in the respective conveying sections; calculating a conveying time of the sheet in the respective conveying sections; calculating a residual strain of the sheet in the respective conveying sections from the calculated temperature and the moisture content of the sheet in the respective conveying sections, the calculated conveying time, and the stress relaxation characteristics of the sheet; calculating a final curl amount using the calculated residual strain of the sheet in the respective conveying sections; and controlling the curl straightening apparatus based on the final curl amount obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Inventors: Shunichi OOHARA, Yuko HAYAMA
  • Publication number: 20140219697
    Abstract: A curl correction apparatus that corrects a curl of a sheet includes: a hard roller that is disposed in the downstream in a sheet conveying direction of a heating apparatus; a soft roller that is disposed in the downstream in the sheet conveying direction of the heating apparatus; and a guide member that is disposed in the immediate upstream in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the hard roller, and guides the sheet; wherein a nip width in the sheet conveying direction of a nip portion between the hard roller and the soft roller is set to be narrower in a central portion in an axial direction than end portions in the axial direction, and the guide member is configured to protrude in the central portion in the axial direction toward the downstream in the sheet conveying direction from the both end portions in the axial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2014
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ken Murooka
  • Publication number: 20140205317
    Abstract: In order to correct a corrugation caused when a sheet widthwise edge portion elongates more than the vicinity of the center in a sheet feeding direction, a sheet processing apparatus includes: a fixing portion that fixes a toner image onto a sheet by heating, a plurality of pairs of rollers provided along a sheet feeding direction with an interval in the downstream of the fixing portion in the feeding direction to nip and convey a sheet; and a tensioning device that applies a tensile strength of the sheet feeding direction to a sheet in a center area of a width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Takematsu, Kazuhisa Okuda, Kenjiro Sugaya, Shutaro Saito
  • Patent number: 8787817
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a conveying unit configured to convey a recording medium; a conveyance stopping unit configured to stop conveyance of the recording medium; a heating unit having a heating plane and configured to heat a part of the recording medium, which part is laid over the heating plane; and a cooling unit configured to cool the part of the recording medium, whose conveyance has been stopped, by applying cooling air to the part of the recording medium from above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuuki Kikushima, Sho Sawahata, Genichiro Kawamichi, Ken Onodera
  • Patent number: 8761657
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including: a support portion configured to support first and second rollers to be able to increase/decrease a distance between an axis line of the first roller and an axis line of the second roller including a second roller body; an elastic member configured to urge at least one of the first and second rollers to relatively bring it close to the other; and a regulating portion configured to regulate, at a position at which part of the plurality of first roller bodies and part of the second roller body overlap each other in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, movement of the at least one of the first and second rollers in a direction of increasing the distance between the axis line of the first roller and the axis line of the second roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masato Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8752820
    Abstract: An envelope warpage correcting device includes a sheet feeding portion, a correction means and a control portion. The sheet feeding portion feeds envelopes one-by-one in a state where the envelopes are stacked on a sheet feed table and a rear end portion opposite to a flap portion formed in a front end portion of each of the envelopes is set to a leading portion in a sheet feed direction. The correction means corrects warpage occurring at a side of the rear end portion of the envelope fed by the sheet feeding portion. The control portion controls processing for correcting the warpage occurring at the side of the rear end portion by the correcting portion at certain timing according to an attribution of the envelope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Nishiyama
  • Patent number: 8750780
    Abstract: A decurling unit regulates a decurling force so as to be smaller when a sheet is returned from a printing unit to a sheet feeding unit than when the sheet is fed from the sheet feeding unit to the printing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masato Izumi, Tetsuhiro Nitta, Ryosuke Sato, Kenji Shigeno
  • Publication number: 20140153991
    Abstract: A curl correction apparatus includes a supporting member. The supporting member supports a shaft of an elastic roller and a shaft of a metal roller at a first position, and supports only one of the shaft of the elastic roller and the shaft of the metal roller at a second position. When the supporting member is located at the second position, the nip between the elastic roller and the metal roller can be opened by moving the other of the elastic roller and the metal roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noriaki Koyanagi, Takafumi Monte
  • Patent number: 8737906
    Abstract: A system and method for determining substrate media height including a media transport having a transport surface for carrying thereon substrate media along a media path in a process direction past a print zone. A media height detector is disposed upstream of the print zone. The height detector includes an elongate member disposed above the transport surface and extending across the transport surface in a cross-process direction. The elongate member is slanted with respect to the transport surface with a distance between the elongate member and the transport surface decreasing as the detector extends in the process direction. The height detector includes a deflection sensor operably connected to the elongate member. The deflection sensor senses deflection of the elongate member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Joannes N. M. de Jong, Thomas Wyble
  • Patent number: 8737907
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which prevents evaporation of moisture applied to a sheet by virtue of an aqueous solution containing a deliquescent material, and maintains a state in which curling or wavelike distortions are reduced. The structure of the image forming apparatus is characterized by including an image forming parts that forms toner images on paper sheets, and a fixing device which thermally fixes a toner image onto a sheet, and an aqueous solution applying portion which applies an aqueous solution to the sheet, the aqueous solution applying portion applies the aqueous solution containing a deliquescent material which prevents moisture evaporation to a sheet having a toner image thermally fixed thereonto by a fixing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazunari Hatazaki
  • Publication number: 20140140746
    Abstract: A decurler device corrects a curl of a sheet. The decurler device includes a first roller, a second roller and a support unit. The first roller rotates about a first rotational shaft as an axial center. Further, the first roller is elastically deformable. The second roller rotates about a second rotational shaft in parallel with the first rotational shaft as an axial center. Further, the second roller is pressed by the first roller to elastically deform the first roller, thereby forming a curved nip portion between itself and the first roller. The second roller rotates to convey a sheet. The support unit rotatably supports the first and second rollers. Further, the support unit is rotatable about a third rotational shaft in parallel with the first rotational shaft as an axial center. The support unit rotates when a sheet is conveyed with it nipped by the nip portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Keisuke EGAWA
  • Publication number: 20140126945
    Abstract: A representative configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the invention includes: an image forming portion; a transfer portion; a fixing portion; a curl correcting unit which is provided on a downstream of the fixing portion in a sheet conveyance direction and includes a first roller and a second roller; a holding portion which movably holds the second roller; a biasing member which applies a force to the holding portion; a door which rotatably holds the first roller, is supported to be opened and closed, and separates the first roller from the second roller by being opened; and a retracting portion which allows the holding portion to be retracted to a position where the second roller deviates from a movement path of the door against a biasing force of the biasing member according to a closing operation of the door.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2013
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Wataru Uchida, Ryo Iwasawa, Tomooku Koyama, Taro Ishifune, Mitsuhiro Ohta, Ken Murooka, Masayoshi Fukatsu
  • Patent number: 8712313
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes a fixing device configured to fix a visible image transferred on a printing medium, a decurl device configured to correct a curl produced on the printing medium, a discharging device configured to discharge the printing medium to a space outside of a main body of the image forming apparatus, and a guide device disposed between the fixing device and the discharging device. The guide device guides the printing medium around the decurl device when a transport direction of the printing medium is reversed for duplex printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tae Hoon Kim, Jae Hyeok Jang
  • Patent number: 8693941
    Abstract: A method of decurling media supplied by a media supply roll includes determining an amount of media remaining in a form of a media supply roll and forming a media decurling path having a wrap angle around a decurling roller corresponding to at least the amount of the media remaining in the form of the media supply roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: John A Dangelewicz, Jr., Robert Lockwood
  • Patent number: 8687996
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including an upper section including an image forming section to form an image on a recording sheet, a lower section arranged below the upper section including a sheet supplying tray to stack a plurality of recording sheets, a partitioning body to separate the upper section and the lower section in a vertical direction, wherein the lower section includes a dehumidification device to heat the inside of the lower section and to dehumidify the recording sheets stacked on the sheet supplying tray, the partitioning body includes a first shielding member to shield a bottom portion of the upper section, a second shielding member separated from the first shielding member to shield a top portion of the lower section, a clearance formed between the first shielding member and the second shielding member, and an air blowing section to blow air into the clearance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kyoichi Mizuno, Tarou Miyamoto, Kunihiro Kawachi, Yusuke Kawanago
  • Patent number: 8688019
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of appropriately curing curl which is apt to be generated at a fixing-completed sheet. An intersection angle ?2 between respective axis lines 81c, 82c of an upper conveying roller 81 and a lower conveying roller 82 in a conveying apparatus 80 is set to be in the opposite direction to an intersection angle ?1 between respective axis lines 50c and 51c of a fixing roller 50 and a pressure roller 51 in the fixing apparatus 40. Accordingly, curl generated at a sheet S at the time of pressure fixing at the fixing apparatus 40 can be returned into a state before fixing as being appropriately corrected in the opposite direction by the upper conveying roller 81 and the lower conveying roller 82.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Teppei Nagata
  • Patent number: 8672322
    Abstract: A tri-roll curler apparatus includes an inlet roll, and exit roll, and a penetrating roll. The three rolls have substantially equal radii. At least one of the penetrating roll, and the inlet and exit rolls may be movable. Distances between the penetrating roll and the inlet roll, and the penetrating roll and the exit roll are substantially equal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Injae Choi, Thomas C. Hollar, Peter J. Knausdorf, Marina Tharayil, Thomas J. Wyble
  • Patent number: 8655212
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium; a fixing device that fixes the image formed on the recording medium at the image forming unit while nipping and transporting the image formed on the recording medium at the image forming unit; a transporting section provided downstream from the fixing device in a direction of transportation of the recording medium, the transporting section nipping and transporting the recording medium; and a controller that performs control for changing a transporting velocity of the fixing device and a transporting velocity of the transporting section on the basis of information used for triggering a change in the transporting velocity of the fixing device when the recording medium is held by the fixing device and the transporting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junichi Asaoka, Shouichi Maeda, Yoshinori Koike
  • Patent number: 8639175
    Abstract: A curl correcting unit can be attached in a normal orientation and inverse orientation. In the normal orientation, a sponge roller being on the lower side, a sliding plate is pressed down by a curl-correction-amount adjusting mechanism. When the sliding plate is pressed down, a roller-side plate is lifted up via a link, where the link works as a shaft of a seesaw that connects the sliding plate and the roller-side plate. As a result, the sponge roller moves up and comes into press-contact with a metallic roller. In the inverse orientation, the sponge roller being on the upper side, the roller-side plate is directly pressed down by the curl-correction-amount adjusting mechanism and thereby the sponge roller comes into press-contact with the metallic roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Takeshi Goto
  • Patent number: 8639151
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a printing unit, a fixing device, a conveying roller, and a control unit. The printing unit is configured to form an image by transferring toner onto a sheet. The fixing device is configured to heat and fix the toner onto the sheet. The fixing device is disposed on the downstream side of the printing unit. The conveying roller is configured to convey the sheet from the fixing device. The conveying roller is disposed on the downstream side of the fixing device. The control unit is configured to control the sheet heated by the fixing device to pass through the conveying roller a plurality of times before the image is formed on the sheet by the printing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masahiro Ohno
  • Patent number: 8626053
    Abstract: A medium correcting device includes: a first holding body that holds a first rotating body having a surface moving circumferentially; a second holding body that holds a second rotating body having a surface that moves following the circumferential movement of the first rotating body and becoming a coupled body incorporating the first and second rotating bodies; a rotation shaft connected to a driving system when the coupled body is housed in a housing body and separated from the driving system when the coupled body is removed; an off-center cam eccentrically fixed to the rotation shaft, presses one rotating body against the other by an amount of pressing according to an angle of the off-center cam, the amount being larger in a downward eccentric direction; and a center-of-gravity correction section fixed to the rotation shaft, causing a larger torque than a torque produced by the off-center cam's own gravity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Haruhiko Nishida
  • Patent number: 8626018
    Abstract: A fixing unit includes a fixing member to fuse a toner image on a recording medium on the recording medium; a pressure member to press against the fixing member to define a first nip between the fixing member and the pressure member through which the recording medium is transported; a shifting unit to move the pressure member relative to the fixing member to increase or decrease a pressure of the first nip; a curling correction unit disposed downstream from the first nip in a transport direction of the recording medium that imparts a second curling direction to the recording medium; and a variable setting unit operatively connected to the curling correction unit to variably set an amount of the second curling direction to the recording medium by the curling correction unit depending on the first nip pressure increased or decreased by the shifting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Ogawa, Masanao Ehara, Satoshi Ueno, Hiroshi Seo, Takahiro Imada, Takamasa Hase
  • Patent number: 8600285
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet, a fixing unit configured to fix the image formed by the image forming unit on the sheet, a cooling unit configured to cool the sheet having the image fixed thereon by the fixing unit, a curl amount changing unit configured to change an amount of curl of the sheet by bending the sheet having the image fixed thereon, and a path configured to guide the sheet having the image fixed thereon to the image forming unit, after the sheet is conveyed through the curl amount changing unit and the curl amount changing unit. The curl amount changing unit changes an amount of bending the sheet according to whether the sheet is stopped at the cooling unit or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jirou Makinodan, Hiroshige Inoue
  • Patent number: 8600286
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus having a conveying portion 8 includes a plurality of pre-fixing conveying belts 83 arranged in parallel to a width direction intersecting with the sheet conveying direction. The pre-fixing conveying belts convey a sheet to which a toner image is transferred by a fixing portion 9 to a fixing nip portion. The controlling portion controls a driving mechanism which moves at least one of the plurality of sheet conveying members and changes a projecting amount thereof with respect to the other sheet conveying member, and drives such that a conveying state of the pre-fixing conveying belt is obtained based on a state-setting table which is set according to type of sheet. It is possible to prevent sheet corrugated deformation as well as to solve a problem of generation of slip or distortion of a sheet caused by velocity difference between the driving portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasuharu Chiyoda
  • Patent number: 8588675
    Abstract: An image forming system including: a fixing device for fixing a toner image on the recording sheet; a curl flattening section for flattening a curl formed on the recording sheet, and conveying the recording sheet in a downstream direction against the fixing device; a first conveying route for conveying the recording sheet having been processed by the fixing device to the curl flattening section; a second conveying route, being longer than the first conveying route, for conveying the processed recording sheet to the curl flattening section; a switching section for switching the conveying route, to guide to the first conveying route or the second conveying route; and a control section for controlling the switching section to guide the recording sheet to the first conveying route or the second conveying route, based on a type of the recording sheet, having been processed by the fixing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Masahiro Onodera
  • Patent number: 8588674
    Abstract: An image-forming apparatus having an image-forming unit, a fixation unit for fixing a toner image transferred to paper, a double-sided print conveyance path for conveying the paper imprinted on one side toward the image-forming unit, a decurling unit for passing the paper discharged from the fixation unit in a double-roller nip including a hard roller and a soft roller and decurling the paper, a rotation unit for rotating the decurling unit, and a calculation unit for calculating an amount of toner deposited on each of a first side, which is the side printed first, and a second side, which is the side on the reverse of the first side and is the side printed next. The rotation unit rotates the decurling unit on the basis of calculation results from the calculation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Daisuke Nanayama
  • Patent number: 8582185
    Abstract: According to an embodiment of the present invention, an image reader comprises a plurality of light receiving elements configured to receive light from an object to be read and to convert the light into image signals. The image reader further comprises means for determining a distance between the object and the plurality of light receiving elements at a plurality of different positions of the object. Moreover the image reader comprises means for selecting at least one correction process portion based at least on the distance between the object and the plurality of light receiving elements. The image reader comprises means for applying the at least one selected correction process to the image signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takahiro Ikeno
  • Patent number: 8559043
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus (50) at least includes a paper output tray (80), an actuator (16) and a photo sensor (15). The actuator (16) is supported in such a manner as to be swingable above a paper loading surface of the paper output tray (80). The actuator (16) includes a fullness detection section (164) and a rear edge curling detection section (162). The fullness detection section (164) is disposed at a tip portion of the actuator (16), being configured so as to contact the uppermost paper on the paper output tray (80). The rear edge curling detection section (162) is formed so as to extend from the fullness detection section (164) toward a direction that gets further away from the paper loading surface of the paper output tray (80) toward a direction generally parallel to the paper loading surface of the paper output tray (80) and opposite to a paper conveying direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Kobayashi, Masaharu Kimura, Yasuaki Fukada, Masahiko Fujita
  • Patent number: 8554127
    Abstract: In a first step, a sheet is conveyed in a direction, whereby a leading end portion of the sheet is fed to a position between a decurl roller and a decurl pinch roller, which are in positions spaced apart from each other. In a second step, the leading end portion of the sheet is curved and held by causing the decurl pinch roller to come close to or press against the decurl roller. In a third step, the leading end portion of the sheet is withdrawn from between the decurl roller and the decurl pinch roller by conveying the sheet in a direction opposed to the conveying direction. After executing the first to third steps, the sheet is conveyed in the conveying direction through the first step while the sheet is curved by the decurl roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahito Yoshida, Yasuhiko Ikeda, Kenji Shigeno, Koichiro Kawaguchi, Toshiki Takeuchi, Masato Izumi, Kengo Nieda, Ryosuke Sato
  • Publication number: 20130259555
    Abstract: An image forming member includes a rotation body that is configured to rotate in contact with a medium and to form an image on the medium, and a separation member that is positioned in contact with or in a vicinity of the surface of the rotation body and that separates the medium attached to the rotation body. The separation member includes a plurality of partial contact parts formed along a rotational axis direction of the rotation body, and a plurality of ridge parts respectively formed from the partial contact parts toward the downstream of a carrying direction of the medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiro HARUYAMA
  • Patent number: 8544386
    Abstract: Embodiments herein comprise an apparatus that includes a printing engine and an interposer adapted to receive printed sheets from the printing engine. The interposer adds insert sheets between printed sheets. The interposer includes a decurler positioned within the interposer so as to decurl the printed sheets after the interposer adds the insert sheets. The printing engine adds a curl to the printed sheets and the decurler removes the curl from the printed sheets. The decurler can comprise a roller-based decurler, a heated decurler, a pressure based decurler, and/or a moisture-vacuum based decurler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas C. Keyes, Thomas E. Bitter, Ronald A Ippolito, Dale T. Platteter, Richard F. Scarlata, Joe Marasco, Donald R. Fess, Diego A. Pereda, Douglas F. Sundquist
  • Patent number: 8538316
    Abstract: With front face printing, the sheet fed from a sheet feeding unit is led into a nipped position between a first pinch roller and a decurling roller from a first direction, and is discharged by decurling force being applied thereto at the decurling roller. On the other hand, the sheet fed from a reverse unit is led into the nipped position from a second direction opposite to the first direction, and is discharged by decurling force being applied thereto at the decurling roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Shigeno, Tetsuhiro Nitta, Masato Izumi, Ryosuke Sato
  • Patent number: 8532560
    Abstract: A sheet de-curling device: including a first de-curling roller, structured of a round axial shaft and a long bar-shaped member, wherein the long bar-shaped member is spiraled on the round axial shaft clockwise from a predetermined portion of a center of the round axial shaft toward a left end of the round axial shaft, and counterclockwise from the predetermined portion of the center of the round axial shaft toward a right end of the round axial shaft with the same spiraling pitch; a second de-curling roller, structured of a round axial shaft and a long bar-shaped member, wherein the long bar-shaped member is spiraled on the round axial shaft in opposite spiraling directions against the first de-curling roller; and a driving mechanism which rotates the paired first and second de-curling rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kyoichi Mizuno, Kunihiro Kawachi, Masahiro Matsuo
  • Patent number: 8515327
    Abstract: The invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of preventing a ripple or curling of the sheet and stabilizing feedability or loadability of the sheet. The image forming apparatus includes an aqueous solution applying portion that applies the aqueous solution containing the deliquescent material for hindering evaporation of moisture to the sheet where the toner image has been thermally fixed by the fixing portion, and a controller that controls so that a concentration of the deliquescent material of the aqueous solution applied to the sheet using the aqueous solution applying portion is changed depending on the basis weight of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazunari Hatazaki
  • Patent number: 8515332
    Abstract: In an image forming device, a fixing unit thermally fixes a development image transferred onto a first surface of a recording medium, the recording medium having a second surface opposite to the first surface. The conveying wall defines a conveying path, along which the recording medium is conveyed from the fixing unit in a conveying direction, the recording medium being conveyed along the conveying path with the first surface of the recording medium confronting the conveying wall, the recording medium having a pair of lateral parts in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, the recording medium being curled at the pair of lateral parts to bring the first surface to face outwardly and the second surface to face inwardly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuji Matsuno
  • Publication number: 20130195534
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a curl correction device which corrects curl generated in a recording medium having passed through a fixing device; a temperature/humidity sensor unit which is installed in a conveying path between the fixing device and the curl correction device, and detects and outputs temperature and humidity near a surface of the recording medium; a calculation unit which calculates temperature and moisture content of the recording medium from the temperature and humidity output values output from the temperature/humidity sensor unit, and calculates curl correction efficiency of the curl correction device from the temperature and moisture content of the recording medium; a control value determination unit which determines a control value to perform a curl correction in the curl correction device, based on the curl correction efficiency calculated by the calculation unit; and a control unit which controls the curl correction device by the control value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Inventors: Shunichi OOHARA, Yuko HAYAMA
  • Patent number: 8494434
    Abstract: A fixing system includes a fixing device that fixes a non-fixed image with heat onto a recording medium. The fixing device includes a fixing roller that generates heat and a pressing roller that presses against the fixing roller. A curl correction device is provided to correct curling of the recording medium passing through the fixing device. The curl correction device includes a heating roller unit that generates heat and an elastic roller that presses against the heating roller unit. A magnetic flux generating device is arranged in the vicinity of the fixing device and the curl correction device and generates magnetic flux.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Takamasa Hase, Masanao Ehara, Kenji Ishii, Tadashi Ogawa, Satoshi Ueno, Hiroshi Seo, Takahiro Imada
  • Publication number: 20130183059
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided that can prevent a winding jam of a sheet, which can be caused owing to curling of the sheet at the front end in the sheet conveying direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2013
    Publication date: July 18, 2013
    Applicant: CANON FINETECH INC.
    Inventor: CANON FINETECH INC.
  • Patent number: 8472857
    Abstract: According to an example structure, an image forming apparatus includes a belt having a conveying surface on which a recording sheet is conveyed; an image forming unit disposed opposite to the belt and forming an image on a surface of the recording sheet conveyed by the belt; a conveying unit conveying the recording sheet onto the belt; and a guiding member disposed opposite to the conveying surface of the belt and configured to at least partly guide the recording sheet toward the conveying surface of the belt while the guiding member comes into contact with a first back surface opposite to a surface of which the recording sheet comes into contact with the conveying surface of the belt. The recording sheet is guided by the guiding member while being bent at a center of tip end portion with respect to a width direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording sheet so as to protrude toward the conveying surface of the belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuji Matsuno
  • Publication number: 20130142525
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing section, a de-curling section, and a control section. The de-curling section has a de-curling nip portion that presses a sheet to correct a curl caused in the sheet, and a corrective force thereof to press the sheet changes at least in two steps. The control section increases the conveyance speed of the sheet after a rear end of the sheet has passed the fixing nip portion when the de-curling section supports by sandwiching the sheet with a weakly-pressing force. When the de-curling section supports by sandwiching the sheet with a strongly-pressing force, the controller increases the conveyance speed of the sheet after the rear end of the sheet has passed the fixing nip portion and the de-curling nip portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2012
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Inventors: Ken NONAKA, Yoshiteru KAWAKAMI, Takahiro OKUBO, Haruki MOTEGI, Masahiro MATSUO, Yusuke KAWANAGO, Osamu YOSHIMURA
  • Patent number: 8437686
    Abstract: An image forming system includes: a decurl section which corrects a curl on a sheet on which an image has been formed; a sheet ejection section on which the sheet to be ejected is stacked; a finishing section which conducts post processing on the sheet on which the image has been formed and ejects the sheet on the sheet ejection section; and an operation and display section having a setting screen for setting a post-processing condition and a selection screen for selecting a decurl direction to be corrected by the decurl section. A selection section that selects the decurl direction given by the decurl section, and a decurl image that shows a decurl direction on the sheet ejection section for the sheet, are indicated on the selection screen, and the selection section and the decurl image are displayed on the same selection screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Motoki Nakamichi
  • Patent number: 8437654
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a sheet conveying apparatus includes: a fixing device configured to heat, with a heat roller, a sheet having a toner image transferred thereon and fix a toner on the sheet; a conveying roller arranged downstream of the fixing device and including plural rollers configured to convey the sheet from the fixing device; a heating unit configured to heat the plural rollers of the conveying roller; and a temperature control unit configured to control the heating unit such that the temperature of the plural rollers approaches the toner temperature of the sheet passing through the conveying roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masahiro Ohno
  • Patent number: 8433235
    Abstract: A fixing device, in which an unfixed image carried by a recording medium is passed through a fixing nip part being pressed by a fixing rotative body and a pressuring rotative body, and is fixed to the recording medium, is disclosed, including: a pressing part, and control part. The pressing part applies a pressure to the fixing nip part. The control part controls the pressure to be applied to the fixing nip part by the pressing part, to be lower than a case in which the recording medium passes through a curl correcting part for correcting a curl of the recording medium, when the recording medium does not pass through the curl correcting part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takamasa Hase
  • Patent number: 8401459
    Abstract: An image-forming device includes: an image-forming unit; a sheet discharge unit; a sheet support unit; and a reading unit. The image-forming unit forms images on a recording sheet. The sheet discharge unit discharges, in a sheet discharging direction, a recording sheet formed with an image by the image-forming unit. The sheet support unit is disposed above the image-forming unit, and supports sheet discharged from the sheet discharge unit. The reading unit is disposed above the sheet support unit, with an underside surface of the reading unit opposing a top surface of the sheet support unit. The sheet discharge unit is configured to discharge the sheet diagonally upwardly so that sheet discharged by the sheet discharge unit contacts the underside surface of the reading unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshiteru Hattori, Sakae Ito